Yassine Bounou among the contenders for the Yachine Trophy...

Ballon d’Or 2025: Yassine Bounou among the contenders for the Yachine Trophy

Yassine Bounou has been shortlisted for the 2025 Yachine Trophy, an award that honors the best goalkeeper of the year as part of the Ballon d’Or ceremony. This marks yet another recognition for a player who, season after season, has established himself as one of the most consistent goalkeepers on the international stage.

Bounou will be facing tough competition, including the likes of Alisson Becker, Thibaut Courtois, and Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Since joining Saudi club Al-Hilal, Bounou has showcased his talent with a string of high-level performances, particularly in the AFC Champions League and the domestic league, where he has played a major role in his team’s successes. With the national team, he remains an undisputed pillar of the Atlas Lions, bringing experience and composure to crucial matches, such as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

This is not the first time the Moroccan goalkeeper has been recognized by France Football. In 2022, following an outstanding season with Sevilla FC — crowned by a Europa League title and a historic World Cup run with Morocco — he finished 13th in the overall ranking.

In that ranking, published shortly before the announcement of the annual Ballon d’Or winners, the Atlas Lion placed ahead of some of the biggest names in world football, including French striker Karim Benzema, the previous year’s Ballon d’Or winner, Argentine World Cup–winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, and English forward Harry Kane.

This latest nomination cements Bounou’s status as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation and is also a source of pride for Moroccan and African football. In a list still largely dominated by European and South American goalkeepers, his presence highlights the growing impact of African players on the world stage.

The trophy is awarded by an international panel of specialized journalists, one representative per country (the top 100 in the latest FIFA rankings), based on three main criteria: individual performances with decisive and impressive impact, team achievements and honors, and class and fair play.

The 10 nominees for the 2025 Yachine Trophy: